From the outset, Esparza (6-2 MMA, 1-0 XFC) wasted no time in taking Herrig (5-4 MMA, 0-1 XFC) to the mat, and she was very active with punches and elbows from the top. When Herrig managed to battle back to her feet, Esparza put her back down again and scored with big elbows that caused a large hematoma to form above Herrig’s left eye.

Herrig secured a takedown of her own in the second round, but Esparza quickly swept and resumed striking from the top. She avoided Herrig’s submission attempts and landed a front kick to Herrig’s face after the fighters were stood up in the final minute.

Esparza’s much-improved striking was on display early in the final round as she put together punching combinations and prevented Herrig from taking her down. Esparza scored a takedown of her own and landed elbows, but she had to act quickly to escape a leg-scissor choke. Back on the feet, Herrig landed a vicious front kick of her own, but it was too little, too late.

All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Esparza, who has won three of her past four fights. The lone defeat came in a razor-thins split-decision loss in a June clash with Jessica “Jag” Aguilar in Bellator.

Eye, Daly victorious at “Night of Champions”

Popular Ohio native Jessica “Evil” Eye (5-1) made a successful return to her roots in the North American Allied Fight Series on Nov. 23. Eye took a lopsided unanimous-decision victory over Jennifer “Superstar” Scott (2-2) at “NAAFS: Night of Champions 2011″ in Canton, Ohio.

In what was essentially a kickboxing match, Eye battered Scott with leg kicks, jabs and right hooks for 15 minutes. Scott tried to answer back with punches of her own, but Eye’s defense was solid, and she evaded nearly all of Scott’s strikes. After three rounds, all three judges returned scores of 30-27 for Eye. Many observers unofficially awarded Eye one or more 10-8 rounds for her dominant performance, which drew cheers from the partisan crowd.

NAAFS 125-pound women’s champion Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly (13-2), who captured the title by defeating Eye in June, handed Kelly Warren (3-1) her first professional defeat in the night’s main event. After nearly two full rounds of back-and-forth action, Daly managed to lock on an armbar from the bottom that forced Warren to submit. The end came at the 4:39 mark of round two. Warren initially protested the stoppage, but replays confirmed she had tapped.

With both fighters picking up key victories, an NAAFS title rematch between Eye and Daly is a strong possibility for 2012. Both also remain active outside of NAAFS competition. Eye made a successful debut for Bellator Fighting Championships in September, and Daly has become a mainstay in the U.K.-based Cage Warriors organization.

Santos sat on the sidelines for more than a year while she awaited a new contract with Strikeforce, which she finally received this summer. The Brazilian knockout artist has torn through the competition since her U.S. debut in 2008. All four of her Strikeforce bouts have ended in stoppages, and she most recently destroyed Jan “Cuddles” Finney in June 2010.

Yamanaka makes her Strikeforce debut after becoming one of the top stars in Japan’s all-female JEWELS organization. The 5-foot-11 Yamanaka has won eight straight fights and avenged her only career loss in a 2009 rematch with Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano. Yamanaka brings a significant reach advantage into her title fight with Santos, but her striking defense has lacked at times in past bouts. A single mistake could be all that Santos needs to retain her title.

Two title bouts highlight Jewels: “17th Ring” card

Japan’s foremost female promotion, JEWELS, will showcase two title fights at “Jewels: 17th Ring” on Dec. 17 in Tokyo. JEWELS lightweight (52 kilograms/114 pounds) champion Ayaka Hamasaki (5-0) makes the first defense of her title in a rematch with South Korean striker Seo Hee Ham (9-4).

Hamasaki edged out Ham in the finals of the 2010 JEWELS lightweight queen grand prix to become the promotion’s first champion. In September, she defeated teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue in a non-title bout. Ham has won three times since the loss to Hamasaki and is coming off of a big victory over former Valkyrie featherweight champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi. The title rematch between Hamasaki and Ham will be contested over three, five-minute rounds.

The first JEWELS featherweight (48 kilograms/106 pounds) champion will also be crowned at “17th Ring.” The event features the semifinals and final of the inaugural JEWELS featherweight queen grand prix. Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (5-0) faces Kikuyo Ishikawa (6-2) in one semifinal. Veterans Misaki Takimoto (14-12-4) and Yukiko Seki (10-20) clash in the other.

Sugiyama advanced to the semifinals with a close but unanimous decision victory over Ayumi “Edge” Saito at “Jewels: 16th Ring” in September. On the same card, Ishikawa upset former Valkyrie flyweight champion Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada. On the other side of the bracket, Takimoto won her quarterfinal bout in dominant fashion by defeating Miyoko Kusaka. Seki won for the fifth time in her past six fights by defeating Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto.

Two kickboxing matches also have been confirmed for the card. JEWELS and J-GIRLS veteran Miku Hayashi faces the debuting “Kanomsitoso” in a preliminary-card bout. In the finals of the inaugural JEWELS under-15 kickboxing tournament, 12-year-old “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito, who sports an outstanding record of 61-8-3 with 19 KOs, faces 14-year-old Chihiro Imoto.

Additional fights will be announced for the card in the coming week.
Women take center stage on Dec. 17

In addition to the Santos-Yamanaka title fight in Strikeforce and the all-female JEWELS card in Japan, a number of other women’s bouts are also scheduled to take place on Dec. 17. NAAFS has its own all-female event planned for the date, though a fight card has yet to be announced.

Michelle “Bobcat” Blalock (1-0) faces Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (6-4) at “Ring of Fire 42: Who’s Next” in Broomfield, Colo. Blalock holds the ROF 125-pound “Young Guns” women’s title, which is expected to be on the line. She followed up on a 6-0 amateur career by winning her pro debut in April. Schuckman brings a significant experience edge into her ROF debut. She has recently campaigned at 110 pounds and moves up in weight for the fight. This event will stream live on GFL.tv.

Jennifer “Lil’ Ice” Berg (2-4) faces Stephanie “The Scrapper” Skinner (0-3) at “Proving Grounds: The Road to Redemption” in Denver, Colo. The event is co-promoted by veteran Colorado promotions Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz and The Beatdown. Berg, a fan favorite in the area, looks to rebound from a surprising upset loss in October. Skinner aims for her first win as a pro. This bout is a rematch from March 2010, when Berg defeated Skinner by first-round TKO.

Kyane “Pepper” Hampton (1-5) faces Brittany Nipper (0-2) at “Don’t Blink Entertainment: Border Wars 2″ in Riverton, Wyo. Hampton put together a solid record as an amateur and captured the Don’t Blink women’s title in late 2009, but she has struggled as a professional. Nipper looks for her first pro win in her Don’t Blink debut. Hampton’s title will be up for grabs.

Quick results

Hanna Sillen (5-1) defeated Katrina “The Cat” Teer by unanimous decision at “Rumble of the Kings 6″ on Nov. 26 in Stockholm, Sweden. Sillen survived Teer’s early takedowns and submission attempts and took control of the bout with punches on the ground that nearly ended the fight. It was more of the same in rounds two and three as Sillen’s striking proved to be too much for Teer. Sillen has won back-to-back fights since her lone defeat in February. Her record includes a notable win over Strikeforce veteran Maiju Kujala in 2010.

Romy Ruyssen (5-1) defeated Florence Berthe (0-1) by submission (guillotine choke) in round one at “Octagon Fighting Club 3″ on Nov. 26 in Manage, Belgium. Ruyssen has won four straight fights since her sole defeat, which came at the hands of former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen in 2008. All five of Ruyssen’s wins have come by submission. In 2010, she earned a contract with Strikeforce by winning a one-night Upcoming Glory tournament, but she did not debut for the promotion before its acquisition by Zuffa.

Kayo Nagayasu (7-6-4) and “Happy” Fukuko Hamada (7-6-1) fought to a split draw (20-19, 19-19, 19-20) at “Pancrase Impressive Tour 12″ on Nov. 27 in Osaka, Japan. Nagayasu and Hamada initially faced off in April 2010, where Nagayasu won a close majority decision. As the rematch did little to settle the rivalry between the two, a third bout may be booked in the future.

“Heartless” Glena Avila (2-0) defeated Maria “The Real Deal” Andaverde (1-1) by submission (armbar) early in round one at “Budo Fights 6: Pretaliation” on Dec. 3 in Bend, Ore. Andaverde, who took the bout on one week’s notice, countered an early takedown and landed in Avila’s guard. Seconds later, Avila locked on an armbar from the bottom, and Andaverde was forced to submit. Avila also used an armbar to secure victory in her pro debut in June.

Upcoming fights

Heather “Hurricane” Clark (4-1) faces an opponent to be determined at “Evolution Combat Sports Championship: Evolution 2″ on Dec. 10 in Clovis, N.M. Clark’s original foe, Chelsea Colarelli, was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury this past week. Clark has won four straight fights, all by TKO or submission, since losing her April 2010 pro debut.

Anna Zuchelli (0-1) faces fellow striker Helena Martin (0-3) at “KAYO MMA 6″ on Dec. 11 in Watford, England. Zuchelli came up just short in her pro debut in August, dropping a majority decision to Muay Thai champion Karen “9mm” Ousey. Martin most recently fought in October and had early success against Hannah Stephens, but succumbed to a neck crank in round three.

Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (2-0) faces Rachael Swatez (4-2) at “Conquest of the Cage” on Dec. 15 in Airway Heights, Wash. Pena returns to the cage after a two-year hiatus due to a pair of serious knee injuries and debuts at 125 pounds. She earned two stoppage wins in 2009. Swatez has never been finished, and all four of her wins have come by TKO or submission.
Tonya Evinger (9-6) faces Sarah “Too Sweet” Alpar (2-1) at “Xtreme Fighting League: Rumble on the River 6″ on Dec. 16 in Tulsa, Okla. Evinger looks for her second straight win over a titleholder in Oklahoma. She replaced Alpar in a September bout with XFL champion Anita “El Tigre” Rodriguez and submitted Rodriguez early in the first round. Evinger now returns to the state to take on Alpar, who captured the Rumble on the River women’s title in July.

(Pictured: Carla Esparza)

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.

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